Sometimes The Answer Is To Climb More TreesSome people read books, some people play instruments, some people run marathons, and some people (like us) climb trees, very tall trees as you will see! Ropes and harnesses are involved in this brand new, never before seen episode, so if heights make you nervous, you should totally watch anyway because we think it’s pretty fun. Adventure is out there! Or up a tree, whatever. Watch Tree Climbing now!

Hooray! Hooray! It’s Here! It’s Here! We’re thrilled to be releasing Oscar’s Project today. One of the aims of Olive Us is to show kids doing simple yet meaningful activities–activities that are meaningful to them. This episode highlights how a project that takes some planning and work brings Oscar pride and joy. What do you think his project is? Watch to find out!!

This episode stars Oscar. And only Oscar, as he takes on a backyard project. We hope you love it, and it inspires you to take on whatever project is on your docket. Watch Oscar’s Project now!

The last episode we released was Saying Goodbye, And, as the name suggests, it was a farewell to a life in France; a life that launched Olive Us a few years ago. To the Sea! is taking our first steps–a bit shaky sometimes–into a new life. If life is a series of Hellos and Goodbyes, this is Hello. We love this episode, and hope you will too. Watch To the Sea! now!

Thank you for joining us for this new chapter! This is also the first episode filmed by Life in Digital. We met Gusto when we moved to Oakland, and he was so excited to be a part of the show, and to give it his own signature as well. We have loved working with him, and can’t wait for you to see what we’ve created together!

Don’t worry. That is the name of this episode. We have kind of been putting off releasing this one. It is the final episode filmed in France, we still get emotional watching it. I imagine there was something psychological about wanting to hold onto it–as if we would somehow be more connected to our life in Normandy until this last episode was released. And actually, we intend to film more in France in the future, but this episode feels like a capstone to a chapter in our life–as indeed it is.

And it’s a good capstone. When we were dreaming up what we wanted in this episode, we had a few sites in mind around our home and town–look for what we called the “middle of nowhere tree”, the WWI memorial angel statue, the mural of the market–painted by our landlord, the bridge and river down the street, and a picturesque, typical hedged field of Normandy…and you’ll see there’s more. We’re so happy we could fit in so much! We love this episode. It instantly takes us back, and we hope you love it too. Watch Saying Goodbye now! (and you possibly may need some tissue…)

Thank you for joining us! This episode also makes us feel so grateful for the audience that came along with us, and made this adventure possible. We’re so delighted with what this series has become, and so excited for what’s to come…Stay tuned!

We’re super excited to feature another episode today! Spring and sunnier days are just around the corner, can you feel it? If not, this episode should give you that last push of inspiration. This is also one of the last episodes filmed in France (there is only one more…) But we think it’s a great celebration of the simple pleasures under the watch of Mr. Eiffel. We’re delighted with it, and hope you love it too. Watch Picnic at the Eiffel Tower now!

The majestic tower…

Olive lays out the picnic blanket under the watch of her siblings and the tower.

After we released Betty in Paris, we thought it would be fun to make episodes showing each child exploring a famous city somewhere in the world — a mini-video-series within the larger Olive Us series. We like the idea of pairing up each child with a city that fits their personality, or a city that, for whatever reason, strikes a chord for each child. We all loved London, but Ralph in particular kept thinking of fun things we could do with Ralph in London. Where Betty in Paris is a sort of charming, innocent ode to Paris, our approach for Ralph in London was always looking for more gritty, hidden gems of London–punctuated by the familiar sites like Big Ben and Trafalgar Square. This episode is also a venture into more teen-agery terrain–music is more rockin’, Ralph is more independent, etc. He’s not as naive as a younger sibling, but it’s still a kind of self-discovery tour as well. Tiger in a Jar spent a few days prior to the shoot scouting locations, and little nuances (tea and biscuits! phone booth!) We’re delighted with it, and hope you love it too. Watch Ralph in London now!

One of the most important practices that has maintained French culture are the markets. Every town has a market where people cross paths with different foods, items, people, and ideas–as they have for centuries. In fact, a famous lithograph in Normandy depicts the market at Eglise Saint-Germain (the market in this episode) in Argentan from the the turn of the century (pictured below). Watch Maude and Betty retrace in their own way this ancient practice that still brings yummy food, beautiful signs, and a chance to order up to your taste. We hope you love How to Visit a French Market. Watch it Now!

When we talk about this episode, the words we use are: Epic. Solemn. Iconic. Majestic. Cathartic. It’s the episode you’ve been waiting for! Only, you didn’t know it. We’re featuring the next episode on ulive! It’s called Pilgrimage to Mont Saint-Michel. Stop whatever you are doing, and watch this episode now, then probably you should watch it again, just to be sure that just happened.. You won’t regret it. A lot of this season has been a sort of homage to Normandy; and in that sense, this episode is really the heart of the season. It has the most gravity and history of any of our episodes. We have watched Pilgrimage many times, we feel like we re-live the pilgrimage with each viewing, and it’s an energizing and cathartic experience each time.

The magical moment when Mont Saint-Michel appears…

Olive Us picnic at one of the oldest crosses in France–dating back to the 1200s, near the intersection of the Mont Saint Michel and Saint Jacques (Santiago de Compostela) Pilgrimages.

The idea grew out of conversations we had with local Normandy friend, and amazing guide, Mark Lane. We spoke with him about making this episode, and he was immediately on board, recommending locations, props, and historical tidbits and overviews. Mark agreed to come along for the shoot, and brought so much first-hand experience to the episode that really elevated it. He had written articles about the pilgrimage, but was excited about the prospect of a video as a great way to introduce this pilgrimage to a different audience, conveying some of the history and beauty of the pilgrimage trail. The footage follows along the pilgrimage trail–a trail brimming with beauty and history; you’ll share in a lot of both in this video. Amazing title and map by Clayton Thompson.

Olive Us making the way toward Joué du Plain, a church and village dating back to Roman times.

Pilgrimage markers dot the trail.

Would you like to do the pilgrimage? Here are some resources to learn more about it.

Hooray! We’re featuring another episode from ulive today. It’s Tongue Twisters! This episode was one of the funnest to make. The hardest part for the behind-the-camera team was keeping a straight face. Sadly, when you make an episode like this, you must exclude some tongue twisters. Some of our favorites that didn’t make it were: “Shredded Swiss Cheese” and “Ed had edited a dud at a detention home” (but you should try them both.) We loved the title by the amazing Clayton Thompson, and we also had a lot of fun working with brilliant illustrator Becca Ricks on the tongue twister images and animations. The rejected shellfish sheepishly backing away will always have a special place in our hearts. And the editing by Tiger in a Jar–if all they did was June’s “Ma, ma, ma, ma, ma!” that is enough to forever secure their work as genius. We hope you’ll try some tongue twisters, and share with us some of your favorites! Watch Tongue Twisters now!

We’re featuring the next episode on ulive! It’s called Painting in Honfleur. This episode is one part Maude leading you on a little tour of the beautiful Honfleur harbor, one part art history lesson, and one part following Maude’s own artistic adventures. We worked with Laurie White from the genius Great Artist Program on this episode.To learn more about Honfleur in art history, and to recreate one of Monet’s masterpieces, view the brilliantly simple lesson and the step-by-step painting Laurie created in conjunction with this episode! We love this episode and these additional resources and hope you will too! Watch Painting in Honfleur now!

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Olive Us Launches First Film Festival!

We are thrilled to announce that First Film Festival is live! This is the first festival of its kind aimed at creating, promoting, and discussing family-friendly films made by kids. First Film Festival is an initiative of Olive Us. Learn more about First Film Festival here.

Olive Us is a series that strives to make beautiful and inspiring videos that will encourage you and your loved ones to get up and move. Or make something. Or try something new. Or see some familiar task in a new and fun light. Read our Manifesto here.